Chapter 3: Three’s a Crowd, But Four’s a Sect
Morning arrived again at Mount Turtleback, and this time it brought two things: fog, and the sound of Hu Daniu falling out of a tree.
"Senior Sister told me climbing would help me find balance!" he shouted from a bush.
"It would," Lin Ziyan called from the courtyard, "if you had balance to begin with."
Li Qingyu sat cross-legged at the top of the sect gate, sipping tea like a serene master. In truth, he was reading the System's disciple status reports and wondering which of his two children was more likely to blow something up.
Ziyan practiced sword stances religiously. Daniu practiced falling over.
Progress was… mixed.
---
[Ding! Sect Daily Mission Reminder:]
Feed disciples: 1/2
Maintain building: 0/1
Recruit one new disciple: 0/1
Optional Task: Impress a visitor
Li Qingyu blinked at the last line.
"…Visitor?"
Right on cue, a bell rang.
Except—his sect didn't have a bell.
"What was that?" Daniu asked, crawling out of the bush with a bird's nest on his head.
Ziyan narrowed her eyes toward the gate.
A moment later, someone knocked. Not kicked. Not exploded. Knocked.
Li Qingyu stood up and adjusted his robes. "Well, this is rare. A polite visitor."
He walked toward the gate and opened it.
Standing outside was a young man in clean, traveling robes, silver-rimmed spectacles, and a smile so polite it made Li Qingyu uncomfortable. He carried a heavy-looking book and an old wooden box wrapped in cloth.
"Greetings," the man said. "I've come to join your sect."
Li Qingyu blinked.
"Just like that?"
"Yes."
"Do you… know who we are?"
"No."
"You're not here to investigate us? Rob us? Challenge us?"
"No. I simply heard rumors of a remote sect offering free admission and spiritual growth."
Li Qingyu scratched his head. "...You read the flyer, didn't you."
The man nodded. "It was under a dead fox near the market."
"Ah yes," Li Qingyu mused. "Classic placement."
Ziyan walked up beside him, sword already half-drawn. "He still looks suspicious."
She narrowed her eyes. "Why are you trying to join this sect? There are at least a hundred better ones out there."
Su Jian smiled politely. "I already joined another sect before, actually."
Li Qingyu and Ziyan both stiffened.
"You what?" Ziyan's voice sharpened. "So you already joined another sect—and now you're here?"
Li Qingyu narrowed his eyes. "Are you a spy? Come to investigate our… pig farm—I mean, sect?"
Ziyan raised her sword. "Trying to steal our secrets? Planning to sabotage our... filthy buildings?"
Su Jian held up his hands. "No, no! I swear I'm not here to steal anything! I got kicked out of my clan!"
Li Qingyu tilted his head. "For what? Espionage? Squirrel worship?"
Su Jian looked a little embarrassed. "For my... weird inventions."
Ziyan scoffed. "Weird inventions?"
Su Jian nodded. "There was a... spiritual teapot that exploded if someone lied while drinking. It caused some issues during the clan's marriage talks."
Li Qingyu blinked. "Okay. That's either genius or suicidal."
Su Jian shrugged. "A little of both."
Li Qingyu leaned toward Ziyan. "He's either insane or useful."
Ziyan grumbled, lowering her sword. "Fine. But I'm watching you. One suspicious move, and I'll feed you to the chickens."
"Understood," Su Jian said calmly. "Though I must ask—how dangerous are your chickens?"
"Emotionally unstable," Li Qingyu replied.
---
[Ding! 3rd Disciple Acquired: Su Jian (Potential Rating: A). Rewards unlocked.]
[Rewards: 50 Sect Points, 1x Alchemy Pavilion Blueprint, 1x Spirit Tea Tree Seed, 1x Sect Lecture Token.]
---
With three disciples now under his leadership, the Eternal Radiance Divine Sect could finally be called a proper sect—at least in name.
The courtyard looked more alive than ever.
Daniu was now sparring with Ziyan using a wooden sword and two left feet. She disarmed him within five seconds.
Su Jian swept leaves off the path with a spiritual feather duster and whistled a cheerful tune that seemed suspiciously magical.
And Li Qingyu?
He sat with a parchment and began drafting the sect's official rules.
---
Eternal Radiance Divine Sect Rulebook (Draft 0.1)
1. Disciples shall not kill one another. Mostly.
2. Cultivation hours are between sunrise and lunch. Naps are sacred.
3. Sect Master is always right, unless proven wrong. Then he is emotionally right.
4. All squirrels are now considered hostile beasts. Kill on sight.
5. Any demon attacks must be reported after finishing lunch.
Ziyan read the list and squinted. "What kind of sect are we building?"
Li Qingyu smiled. "The kind that lasts."
She sighed. "You're lucky we're already stuck here."
---
Later that evening, Li Qingyu gathered all three disciples in the courtyard.
"I'm proud of you all," he said, standing with the sunset behind him. "We are small. We are broke. Our roof is mostly wishful thinking. But today, we have become something greater than ruins."
"A slightly less sad ruin?" Su Jian offered.
"A ruin with heart," Li Qingyu corrected. "And now, with three disciples, we have unlocked our first pavilion construction option!"
[Ding! Sect Feature Unlocked: Pavilion Construction!]
[Blueprints Unlocked:]
Basic Cultivation Hall (Blueprint Unlocked)
Alchemy Pavilion (Blueprint Unlocked)
Disciplinary Platform (Blueprint Unlocked)
Chicken Coop (Blueprint Unlocked)
Spiritual Bathhouse (Locked until Fame Rank C)
Li Qingyu's eyes lit up with hope. "Finally! Our first proper building! System—build the Alchemy Pavilion!"
[Error: Construction Not Available. Manual Labor Required.]
[Note: Sect Master must gather materials, manpower, and coin to construct buildings. Blueprints only unlocked.]
"…Huh?"
[Reminder: You are still broke.]
Li Qingyu slowly turned his gaze from the glowing blueprint to the empty field beside the sect hall.
Then he fell to his knees.
"No builders… no materials… no money! Even if I had the bricks, who would lay them? Daniu would eat the mortar!"
He clutched his head dramatically.
"I've unlocked an Alchemy Pavilion… and it'll remain a phantom dream for eternity!"
Su Jian patted him on the shoulder. "You could always start with a chicken coop. Cheap, humble, symbolic of our current status."
"Don't remind me…"
Ziyan sighed. "At least we have the blueprint. That's… something?"
Li Qingyu looked up at the sky with tears in his eyes.
"System! What's the point of giving a starving man a menu?"
Then, just as he was about to start sobbing into the dirt, a new message flashed:
[Ding! New System Mission Available!]
Mission: Register the Eternal Radiance Divine Sect as an Official Sect in Capital City.]
Reward: 100 Spirit Coins, 1 Basic Construction Token, 2 Fame Points
Time Limit: 30 Days
Do you accept? (Y/N)
Li Qingyu froze.
Then he stood up, dusted off his robes, and stared at the mission panel like it was a golden goose.
"Boys and girls… we're going to the capital."
---
Author Note – Power Stone Edition
Dear Cultivators,
Every Power Stone you give helps feed one hungry sect chicken. Without your votes, our MC might have to sell Hu Daniu's pants just to buy rice!
So if you laughed, smiled, or pity-cringed at our poor, broke sect—
Vote now and help the Eternal Radiance Divine Sect rise (or at least not collapse)!
Remember:
1 Power Stone = 1 less accidental explosion from Su Jian.
Maybe.